The Vixen and The Robin
by Serenity's Ghost
Summary: She was a criminal. She enjoyed taking what wasn't hers, fighting instruments of justice, running for her life. It gave her a thrill. It was her fix, her cocaine, her heroin, her sex. And she just enjoyed toying with me. Robin/Original Character.
1. Chapter 1

**The Ghost has returned with more angsty-like mush and a (hopefully) good story to tell. Let's focus on Robin for a bit. Out-of-character maybe, but as I always say, it takes the right person to make us just a little different. Enjoy!**

**P.S. Her name is pronounced like Anna with a 'z' in front of it; not like Dana with a 'z'. Just so you know ****.**

**Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. But you already knew that.**

We'd been watching this girl for a while. She was dressed in a manner than was very reminiscent of Catwoman, shiny black leather for everything: pants, bustier, gloves and mask that decorated around her dark, almond-shaped eyes.

She played around with me like Catwoman used to play around with Batman, too.

She would run off after a theft and our team would be unable to capture her. It would be dark. Then, just as I'm the last to follow the guys and go home, she'd come out and say something absolutely provocative, like how hot I looked in my costume or how she'd love to see how my eyes would glaze over if we ever kissed. I couldn't catch her on my own either. It was maddening.

And she was attractive. More than attractive, she was alluring. And gorgeous.

She played around with me a lot, daring to talk to me alone like that. She almost made it seem like she was genuinely interested in me, that she wanted me to know her and to know me in turn and that she stole every night just to lure my team out, and subsequently, me.

But I couldn't be so stupid as to think that.

She was a criminal. She enjoyed taking what wasn't hers, fighting instruments of justice, running for her life. It gave her a thrill. It was her fix, her cocaine, her heroin, her sex. And she just enjoyed toying with me. She probably picked me out as most susceptible. But I wasn't.

Superboy could have been just as susceptible. Or Kaldur. Especially Wally with his intent interest on female. Well, maybe not Superboy since I could tell he had a little fixation on Megan. And, I got the impression that there was a bit of a spark between Wally and Artemis, even though they fought like cats and dogs..._especially_ since they fought like cats and dogs. As for Kaldur...well, I wasn't the only one that she could have chosen to toy with. Why'd she have to choose me?

Maybe she thought I was the youngest and most naive.

She was dead wrong. I was the youngest but I wouldn't fall for her. Yeah, that's what I told myself.

Then I realised. She was already almost every thought in my head, churning up my insides, forcing my contemplations. She was already in my head with her lips painted dark red, her shapely figure, her fingertips that would dance across my face or neck playfully in a fight.

I already wanted to know the girl behind the mask, why she did what she did and help her find her way out of the criminal lifestyle. I already cared enough to try my best not to hurt her, not that I ever really could if I tried. She was fast, very fast. And I was already in love with her. She had very quickly wormed her way into my head, into my heart.

It made me fight her every time we went out to try to get her. I hated her for what she was and how she had affected me. I hated being in love with her every second that I was in love with her.

Tonight was no different. Tonight made it two months exactly that we'd been chasing after her. She made it her business to make some trouble every night to disturb and create discord in town, the city or other towns nearly. I just wanted her in a cage somewhere where she couldn't tug at my thoughts and my heart anymore. I was only human and she was causing me unnecessary stress. Did she think it was fun to push me over the edge?

There were nights when I wouldn't even realise my mind ran off with thoughts or fantasies of her. I would imagine her taking off the mask that looked a lot like mine, although with hers I could see her eyes, and her looking at me with that overly seductive stare and that smirk like she knew exactly how distracting she was. I could see her placing herself on my lap and me not doing anything to stop her. Almost like I was tied to the chair. Who knows, maybe at some point I was tied to the chair. I only realised to stop the thoughts too late, after they were so stuck in my head that they replayed and replayed and replayed at the worst possible times. She was in my dreams, too, with her provocative outfit that showed exactly how sultry her shape was. It was as if the skin she showed, that little strip of skin between her pants and the end of her bustier, her bare shoulders, the part of her luscious chest, the mere half of her upper arms, were taunting me. She was a disaster, wrecking havoc on my peace of mind.

I was a teenage boy. What the hell kind of reaction did she expect, especially when she acted like that? It was almost as if she was throwing herself at me. It was pathetic.

And I was eating it up.

Tonight's fight was short-lived. It had just turned dark an hour ago, but she still managed to romance the shadows into hiding her in the alley. We all knew that staying away from the shadows would draw her out but there was always the possibility that she'd just run away. She liked to have some fun fighting us first so she usually stuck around for like ten minutes to fling us into each other and into walls and just about anything that was around that would bruise later.

She managed to get behind me when she realised the others were ganging up on her and she ripped my mask from my eyes and threw it at my feet. I doubled over just as quickly to retrieve it and she turned and ran off. The hate inside of me just grew and burned hotter. But it didn't free me from the love I knew I had for her and the obvious attraction.

Superboy ran ahead to try to get to her but after going for a few yards and searching around with his infrared vision, he started walking back.

"Forget it. She's gone," he announced. Kaldur shook his head.

"How the hell does that chick do that?" Wally exclaimed angrily. I was pissed. Going for my mask was going a little too far.

"I don't know. I just want her out of the picture," I said, trying not to look like I was fuming.

"Are you alright?" Megan asked me.

"Yeah. It's only my mask she managed to get to." I hoped none of them were going to give me hell about choosing to keep my identity a secret which allowed her to get away.

"Come on. Let's just get back to the bioship and home," Kaldur said sternly. He was also quite angry. After two months, he should be.

They all began to walk off in the direction that she had run in, the direction of the bioship. I just stood there, trying to clear my head a little, still fuming. The stupid bitch was just taking things a little too far in general.

"Robin." Her voice sang my name, separating the syllables. I turned almost obediently, wanting to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze hard.

"What's the point of you coming back after you run away?" I asked, anger clearly in my voice. She chuckled and I could just make out her form lying down on her stomach on the top of a wall, hands propping up her head. She stood.

"Oh, come on, Robin. I come back to talk to you. You don't enjoy our little chats? You already know so much about me."

"I wish you'd just go the hell away." Her tone changed.

"You're angry." It sounded like an innocent realisation.

"Yeah, no crap."

Usually, she tried to keep a distance between us in case I tried to catch her. This time, she jumped off the wall, her thick-heeled boots hitting the concrete with a dull thud and she walked over to me, into the light.

"I—I'm sorry. I went too far by taking off your mask like that." She actually sounded contrite, her face mirroring her tone.

"What, do you expect me to say that I forgive you? What do you want? Maybe you should just go home before you come back to cause trouble tomorrow," I said, half-shouting at her. She turned her eyes away from me. It would have been so easy to hit her in that very second. But I just couldn't. Something about her reaction made me feel different. I was still mad as hell but I didn't want to strangle her anymore. "If you want to drive me completely insane, you win."

Her eyes came back to me that very second and she looked a little appalled.

"I would never want to do that to you."

"Then what? Why do you keep torturing me? Why do you keep coming back? What the hell do you want?" I shouted. She looked away again and then her eyes came back to mine rather tenderly. This wasn't like her at all. Then again, she'd never made me mad like this either.

"Today's my birthday," she said softly. I raised a brow.

"What the hell does that have to do with—"

"I want you to go out with me," she said, cutting me off.

"You want me to what? Are you crazy?" I laughed bitterly.

"Look, I know you're mad. But you're not always mad at me, are you? I want to spend at least a little bit of my birthday doing something worthwhile. With you." She took a step closer and half put her hand in mine. "Please?"

"Why should I?"

"I don't want you to come if you don't want to. I just...wanted to spend some time with you, without the mask and the fighting."

"This could be a trap."

"I wouldn't do that." She sighed. "But I guess you're right not to trust me. All I've ever done is been a lousy criminal."

A long moment of silence passed between us and she just continued to look at the ground to her right.

"Look me in the eye." She looked up and locked her eyes with mine beyond my mask. "Are you serious? You're not going to try anything stupid?"

"No. I'm serious." I took another few seconds.

"Where should I meet you?" Her entire face lit up like a rope soaked in gasoline.

"Chiabatta Ristorante. One hour."

"That place is top notch. How're we paying for that?" She smiled.

"You don't worry about that. Dress formal."

"I'm not taking off my mask."

"I wasn't expecting you to. You'll come?"

"I'll come."

"Please don't stand me up."

"I'm an honourable person, remember?" She smirked and the sassy girl was back again.

"I'm honourable, Robin. Just a different brand of honourable. See you there."

She ran off and I turned and walked to the bioship. Holy crap, I had a date with Xana. How was I going to tell Bats that I had to go out? Or Bruce? I'd probably have to sneak out.

"What kept you so long?" Kaldur asked.

"I just needed a minute to calm down," I replied simply. Kaldur nodded, understanding.

"It was wrong of her to do something like that. Then again, we can't expect criminals to do the right thing."

I just took a seat and said nothing.

**You want to know what happens, don't you? Date? No date? The writer would like to inform you that subscriptions and reviews give her a happy high which is **_**very**_** conducive to writing. We all hate to wait for chapters, especially when the story's got us going. Please oblige. **


	2. Chapter 2

**So a few minutes after I post up chapter one, I see someone posts a review. You know much happy that made me? Very. So, here's chapter two.**

From the time I stepped through the door and the maitre d' saw me, he led me to a table at the centre of the restaurant and informed me that Xana would be here shortly. I had time to kill so I just sat there and thought about earlier when I was getting ready.

I looked carefully at my reflection in the mirror, mask over my eyes and messed with my hair a little to get it how I wanted it. I was about to sneak my way out when Alfred appeared out of nowhere.

"You look rather dashing, young master Richard," he said.

"Doesn't he?" Bruce agreed. I spun around to see them with their eyes fixed sternly on me.

"Thanks, Alfred, Bruce," I replied. Alfred left the room and Bruce just continued to stand there and look at me.

"Mind telling me where you're going so dressed up?" he asked, tone very even. He was just slightly peeved.

"I'm going to meet someone at a restaurant."

"Is this someone a girl?" I pulled at my collar. He chuckled. "Just be home before one."

That one took me by surprise.

"Wait, what?"

"I just said be home before one."

"Wait, what?" He chuckled.

"I trust you, Dick. You wouldn't do anything that would get anyone hurt or—"

"Okay, so I'm going out with Xana." His eyebrows shot up.

"Xana? The thief?"

"Er...yeah..."

"Well, be back before one."

"...Seriously?"

"I know what it's like to be young. Besides, you remember Selina Kyle."

"Catwoman? You—"

"Go. You're going to be late."

"We'll talk about this later."

"Alright. If anything goes wrong, keep your communicator on you."

"I will. Thanks, Bruce."

I was still shocked that he let me walk out that door. But Batman knew me. He knew I would always make the right choice when the time came and that I could hold my own. And he knew that, sometimes, your heart had to make some decisions for you.

I was sitting there for fifteen minutes and she hadn't yet come. I was beginning to think that I was the one being stood up. Then, I noticed a girl who just walked through the door with a few raindrops on her skin and her hair. The fall of her straight, black hair, the way the sweetheart neckline of her dress fit, the shade of her skin and the shape of her unmasked face made me marvel with the knowledge of who she was far before she looked at me and smiled. Xana was even more beautiful without her mask. I felt my stomach tighten at the sight of her.

I got up to pull out her chair and she flashed me a brilliant smile as she sat. I retook my place and she had that smirk on her lips. Without the mask, the effect was just as or maybe a little more mind-blowing.

"You look fantastic," she said.

"That's my line." I hadn't missed that the dress fit her figure perfectly and stopped mid-thigh to show off her stunning legs and a pair of painful-looking gold and black high-heel shoes. Her legs were a little more than just fit. They were noticeably muscular. Acrobatic muscular. I had an idea of what looked like.

"Thank you. Sorry about the wait."

"You got caught in the rain. You didn't bring a jacket?" She shrugged.

"It was just a few drops. It's nothing."

A waiter came over and started to hand us menus when she snatched my menu from me and handed them back him.

"We're ready to order. He wants a parmesan oregano steak with linguine and I want grilled shrimp with linguine. For appetisers, just bring the spinach shrimp." The waiter nodded and then returned to where he came from. I could feel the way my eyebrow raised when she just started ordering without glancing at the menu and ordering for me, at that.

"Familiar much with the menu?" I asked.

"I could recite everything on this menu in order with its prices and the sizes."

"This is your family's restaurant." She nodded.

"Very good. You're sharp for a...fifteen year old?"

"I'm thirteen."

"Oh. Wow. Thirteen."

"Well, how are you today?" She laced her fingers together and propped her elbows on the table.

"That's not important."

"Sixteen?" Her face looked surprised for a brief second.

"You're good."

"And yet still _you_ get away from us every time."

"I just know how to run for my life."

"Do your parents know? That you're a thief, I mean."

"Probably. They know everything I do, I think."

"They've never tried to stop you?"

"Not too sure. They're dead."

"Oh...I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. They died in an accident. When I think of them it makes me hesitate a little though."

"I...I also lost my parents."

"Then I know how you feel. I knew there was more than one reason why I was attracted to you."

"Attracted, huh." She looked away for a long moment. "What happened to your usual sass and fight? You're being so timid today."

"You think I'm always femme fatale? At some point I do turn back into a normal human being. Today I got you really mad. It...I just couldn't leave things like that. Hurting you is not something that is ever my intention."

"I really don't get you."

The waiter came back, bringing the plate of appetisers with him. Two kebabs of skewered shrimp with strands of spinach wound around their midsections sat there on the plate with a brownish sauce in two tiny cups. She used her hand to remove one from the skewer and dipped it in the sauce, taking a first bite. I just lifted the skewer to dip the first one then tasted it. The girl knew how to pick food.

"Maybe I'll spell it out for you sometime. It's not half as complex as you think. Do you like it?" She gestured at the shrimp to avoid confusion.

"It's awesome." She nodded. "You live with a guardian now?"

"No. I live by myself but someone is the building is supposed to check on me and make sure I have what I need."

"School?"

"I finished recently."

"Ah, so you're one of those genii."

"No. My parents and I just wanted me to get out of school quickly so they had me on an accelerated program. I think _you'd_ be the genius. I...I can just work really hard if I have a goal in mind."

"Like going out and committing burglaries every night." She cracked a small smile again.

"Exactly. But I have a goal in mind so I work towards it."

"You don't do it just to get the things you want?"

"No, there's more behind it."

"You going to stop being vague any time soon?"

"Later. For now, I want to talk about something lighter. We can get all hot and heavy later." I wonder for a second if I saw the double meaning in her words. I cocked a brow and she mirrored my expression in a sexier manner.

"What do you want to do when you're older?"

"I wanted to be superhero but somehow that plan went awry."

"You could always reform."

"It's not that simple."

"It could be. All you have to do is do your time and give back everything you stole."

"I can't afford to waste time in jail. I'd go nuts."

"You can't go to jail. Juvie maybe, not jail."

"Either way."

We polished off the shrimp and almost as if he'd been watching, the waiter brought our entrees and took the appetiser plate. The steak was even more amazing than the appetiser. She asked me a few questions about my life, seeming to try to sidestep asking anything too personal. It was almost as if she was trying to help me keep my identity a secret. She was helping how much I was in love with her either. She still made a lot of her sassy, witty remarks like she usually did when masked and clad in leather. She wasn't the one who wore a mask to separate personalities. She was the one who wore the mask to avoid being immediately recognised or just because it matched the outfit. She was still always essentially the same person.

We kept talking long after the plates were cleared until the lights started being turned off, the not-so-subtle indicator that they wanted people to go home. She stood and I followed suit.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"Can we go for a walk?"

"Yeah, sure."

"What time do you have to return home?"

"One."

"We've got more than an hour. Come on, let's go to the park."

On the way to the park, she asked me arbitrary questions about myself, things that would seem a bit minor to others. She seemed to be a girl who enjoyed simple things. It only made my heart feel worse. Just as we reached there, we encountered a guy with an ice cream cart. I noticed the way her eyes lit up when she saw the cart so we went over.

"I'll have two chocolate ice cream cones, please," I said to the guy. He smiled as he shovelled out the two scoops onto the cones. I handed him a ten dollar bill, smiled and we walked off. At that hour, he deserved a big tip. There was a tall structure at the centre of the park and she went ahead of me to climb up the part of it that looked like a staircase before she sat. I came to join her not long after.

"It's later so I suppose I owe you some answers," she said. "Amazing how you pinned me for chocolate, though. You're really good at figuring me out. Why can't you figure out why I'm doing this, why I've always doted on you?"

"Well, I had a thought but it probably has no standing."

"You can't say that. I want to hear your guess."

"First, I want to hear why you started stealing."

"After my parents died, I was just numb to everything. One day when I was just walking through the mall, the stray thought came into my mind that perhaps I should just take something. I found afterwards that it gave me a rush. I figured it was better to feel something than nothing, even if the rush came from stealing. After I got over their deaths, I ended up still stealing for the thrill of it."

"And the whole costume thing?"

"I just wanted to make some trouble. It gives me something to do at night."

"So...what you're trying to tell me...is that you're bored?" She laughed a little.

"Essentially. But old habits die hard."

"You going to stop? Things could get really dangerous if the League actually intervenes."

"Yes. Very soon." She sighed. "See, them I know I can't take. You guys...you're not weak, but I guess I have the power of seduction on my side. I'm just a little bit faster than you. Superboy focuses a little too much on smashing things than actually getting the target. But you, you're the one who's most experienced. You're the really dangerous one."

"And you figure you've got me caught up most of all." She smiled a small smile at me.

"Well, I hope so." I took a second to take that in.

"Why?"

"This is the part where you tell me what you're guess is."

Given the tone of the conversation, and what she'd said thus far, it didn't make me feel like so much of an ass to say what I impression I had gotten from her advances those many times.

"You always come back just to talk to me. And you tell me some personal things sometimes. It kind of gives the impression that you're interested in me."

She smiled a rather cute smile, but on her face, it only served to turn on her allure.

"Do you really believe that?"

"My head tells me you're just messing with me because it's fun. Just like beating us up and stealing is." I took the now empty paper cone that was around the ice cream cone from her, rolled it into a ball with mine and threw it at the garbage bin about four yards away. It went in.

"But you're right. I told you you're good at this." It took me about three seconds to process that.

"What?"

"I'm also a victim of a terrible crime, Robin. You, who claim to be such an upstanding instrument of justice, have stolen my heart."

My heart started to beat erratically. She was looking into my eyes, her elbows on her thighs, her hands propping up her head, her hair cascading perfectly over her shoulders. If this was a trap, it was a damn good one.

She slid closer to me, taking my face in her hands very gently with her soft, gentle hands that touched in a way that maddened. Her eyes were liquid and sensuous and I would have been an idiot if I didn't know what was on her mind.

"Is this your first kiss?" she asked softly. She didn't even give me time to answer. "Because it should be." Her face started coming closer to mine and just before her lips touched mine, she whispered, "It's mine."

There was nothing soft and tentative about this kiss. The second her lips touched mine, she started feeding me all the hunger, passion and urgency she had to give. And I gave back.

There was nothing more that I had longed for than a chance to get a glance at the girl behind the mask, under the leather and beyond the thief. I got a whole five hours with her. And now, she was not only letting me spend this time with her, she admitted her interest in me and her lips were speaking romance to me.

It finally hit home. She wasn't kidding. This wasn't a trap. She wasn't toying with me.

She really actually wants me.

And I really want her back.

I don't know when my arms ended up around her back, but they didn't want to let go and she wouldn't stop kissing me and I wouldn't stop kissing back. Her mouth tasted like chocolate ice cream and promises of passion that would drive me insane. How was one kiss doing this? Did mutual attraction have something to do with it?

She pulled back suddenly and it occurred to me after a few seconds that our breathing was ragged and I desperately needed oxygen. That kiss had thrown me into such an abyss that I hadn't even noticed that I was mere seconds from passing out from oxygen deprivation.

She was still in my arms, her hands still holding my face and she brushed her thumb against my cheek. I remembered that I was wearing my mask. I remembered that she had said that she wanted to see how my eyes would look if we ever kissed. I moved a hand from her back and started removing the mask when she stopped me and smoothed it back into place.

"What colour are your eyes?" she asked.

"They're blue." She smiled.

"The most beautiful thing in the world."

"Why did you stop me?"

"Your identity is important to you. Who you are beneath the mask is different from who you are with it and just as important. It's different for me."

"I want to show you. I love you." The smile lifted and then returned.

"But we can't be certain we're alone. I won't risk anyone seeing you without your mask." Her lips returned to mine, softer this time, sweeter, a short kiss. I could see the pure calm joy in her eyes when they opened again.

Her eyes flickered behind me and her smile shrank as she sighed.

"It's midnight. Time to go home," she said.

"Already?"

"My neighbour who watches out for me expects me before half twelve. She'll be a bit angry if I come in late. I'll get screamed at, not that I take her on."

"Can I walk you home?"

"Please."

I got up from sitting and offered her my hand to help her up. I took her into my arms once more, her hands resting on my biceps and leaned in to kiss her. When she opened her eyes, she took my hand and we started heading to her home.

**The conclusion to this story awaits. All I need is to know that you would like it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Know what time it is? Time for the next chapter! Today I think I'll post the conclusion for this story.**

**Brace yourself for an epic make out scene.**

"It's true," she said.

"What is?"

"That part of the reason why I've been stealing is to come see you, even if it means I'll have to take on your friends and wake up with ugly bruises in the morning."

"You could have just told me you liked me. It would have saved both of us the injuries."

"I said it was part of the reason, not the whole reason. I'd still have gone out on a theft and encountered you guys anyway. And I've never hit you that hard."

"You've got to drop the habit. You don't need it. You've got me." She squeezed my hand and briefly hugged my waist. "And yes, you have hit me that hard." She barked a laugh but it was charming.

"I'm going to. Very soon. Don't worry."

"Good. I'm tired of having to come after you." She laughed and I just smiled. "Can I ask who taught you to fight like that? You sure as hell remind me of—"

"Catwoman? She's my role model, sort of. She's strong, she's sexy, she's the ultimate thief. But it was my father that taught me to fight like that."

"You've got her down. You've been messing with me just like she messed with Batman."

She stopped.

"Seriously?"

"Oops...Maybe I shouldn't have said that." She zipped her lips and smiled.

"Secret's safe with me. Although I didn't know she used to do _that_. And I haven't been messing with you."

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't.

"Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't."

"_Yes_, you _have_."

"Okay, maybe a little." I scoffed.

"A little? You told me once that you want to rip my shirt off every time you see me, and that's only one example of many. Is that not messing with me?"

"Okay, so maybe I have been messing with you. Did it work?"

"_If_ it worked? I'm here, aren't I and I already told you how I feel about you. You're on my mind so much and I can't even begin to talk about my dreams."

"Anything interesting, dirty?" I looked over at her with a raised brow and she put on an awkward smile. "Okay, don't tell me. But it isn't news to you that I'm just a little bit of a perv, given the kind of comments I've thrown at you."

I shrugged and she sighed.

"You've been in my dreams, too. It's ranged from heartbreakingly sweet to unbearably hot. But I wake up and then it hits me that the only relationship we have is that of enemies. It saddens me," she confessed.

"You'll have great dreams tonight then. We're not enemies anymore because you're going to stop. I don't want to see you in an alley in that suit again. Tonight is your last night." A mysterious look came into her eyes and she gave a half-sorrowful half-smile.

"Yes. It is. And just for the record, I wasn't emulating Catwoman. I just...enjoy black clothes and mischief, especially where you're concerned." I snickered.

"Granted, you're not Catwoman. You're Xana. My Xana."

We stopped at the revolving door of a stylish apartment building that looked rather expensive. It seemed that she fit right into Bruce's class of people. He would have approved...if she wasn't an ex-thief. Although, Bruce would probably approve regardless, given his own experience. Once he met her, he'd know that she was different, special. All she needed was a little love and a lot of guidance.

I thought to leave her there, but she pulled me in and we began across the wide foyer.

"Good evening, Miss Fitzpatric," a young lady behind the front desk called. I knew beneath her smile she was wondering curiously why she was leading me to the elevators, especially since the mask kind of gave away who I was.

"Good evening, Ursula." Ursula gave her the keys and she led me by hand to the elevator shaft.

"You know she's thinking that we're going to—"

"I could care less what she thinks," she cut me off, gently pushing me against the wall when the elevator doors closed and sealing her lips to mine. It was very inappropriate and could have predisposed both of us to doing things we shouldn't.

I couldn't stop. Her lips were what whiskey probably tasted like to a stressed billionaire. Damn, she was delicious. And more than willing to let me rest my hands on her hips while our mouths moved hungrily against each other's. One of her arms was hooked behind my neck, the other hand knotted in my hair to keep my face down to hers. Not like I'd move it if she let me go.

I gently began to push her back until she was against the wall right opposite to the doors. My hand travelled up her side and she shivered a little until I rested it at the nape of her warm neck. Why the hell did I need to breathe?

I pulled away, actually realising I needed to stop for some air but I kept her close with her bottom lip between my teeth. She smelled so amazing and her heart was hammered through her dress.

"I can feel your heart," she said. I smiled.

"I can feel yours."

"But they're both yours. I love you, Robin."

"No, they're not both mine. I'm just holding onto yours in my chest because it's already connected to my organs." She laughed and I laughed with her, dizzy, giddy, high but most of all, happy. She put the hand that was around my neck into mine and I brought it to my lips to kiss it. She was some girl to turn me into this romantic, hormonal mess. A small piece of me wanted to rip her dress off. The rest of me just wanted to spend the rest of the night holding her hand, talking to her and enjoying every kiss we could share. There was a lot more there than that sexual attraction. She was important to me.

The doors dinged and opened and we walked out, hands still together. We only walked past four doors and then stopped.

"This is yours?"

"Yes. I'd invite you in but...I think we both know that's a bad idea and you have to go home. Someone must be waiting for you."

"Yeah, you're right." I hesitated. "I—"

"I don't want this night to end either," she said, cutting me off and completing my sentence. She knew exactly how I felt. I gave a small smile.

I pulled her into a tight embrace which she reciprocated.

"When can I see you again?" I asked.

"My number's in your jacket pocket. Call me sometime."

"When did you—"

"Thief, remember?" She chuckled. We released each other and I took her face in my hands, tracing her cheek softly with my thumbs. Her skin felt like rose petals. Her fingers clutched the lapels of my jacket just as we kissed.

It was a soft goodnight, not a goodbye. It was a 'see-you-later' and an 'I-love-you' and an 'I'll-miss-you'. I was a kiss that promised that there would be more to this, more to us. It was not timid, it was tender and just as captivating as the passionate make out in the elevator. This reached closer to my heart, to my soul than to my flesh. I was young and already in love with this dangerous, lovely girl who was older than me but it didn't bother her and it didn't bother me.

I broke away softly and laid a kiss to her forehead. She looked into my eyes with a tender expression. She fiddled with my bowtie a little and it occurred to me to take it off and give it to her. When I put in around her neck, she smiled like I'd given her pearls.

"I've wanted you to do that for an hour now," she said.

"Hold onto it."

"I'll keep it forever." I kissed her forehead one last time. I had to leave or else I'd just end up unable to leave period.

"Goodnight, Xana."

"Goodnight, Robin." I wanted to tell her my name, take off my mask, tell her everything, but she probably was still insistent that I keep my secret identity a secret.

I took a step towards the elevator when she turned and stopped me.

"Robin?" I spun around.

"Yeah?"

"Tell your friends I'm sorry that I hurt them." I chuckled.

"Okay." I half turned when she called my name again.

"Robin?"

"Yes, Xana?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She turned around, put the key in the door and I walked back into the elevator.

I noticed in the mirror that my lips were slightly reddened in the shade of her so-called colour-stay lipstick. It was probably an indicator that we had kissed more that we should have. I shrugged. I couldn't care less.

I found Bruce waiting up for me. He noticed the dumb smile on my face but didn't say a thing. He just said goodnight and let me go to bed.

I had the sweetest dreams I'd ever had that night.

I woke up so refreshed and so happy the next morning and found Bruce sitting in front of the TV. It had to be interesting since Alfred was standing next to the couch, eyes also trained on the television.

"Hey, Bruce," I called, voice so chipper, it was if someone had shot me with some kind of happy drug. I approached and then just plopped myself onto the couch when I saw what they were watching.

It was the news. Xana was on it. I listened carefully.

"Sources indicate that the girl attempted to steal a black mask from the showcase window when the silent alarm went off and police came in minutes to find the girl with mask in hand. More has yet to be made public on this issue."

"No. No! NO!" I shouted, springing from the couch in rage. How could she do this? After she promised...

I dug the note that she put in my jacket pocket that I had yet to look at out of the pocket of my pyjama pants. We needed to talk. My eyes widened at what I saw. Her number wasn't the only thing there.

_I promise you, today __is__ my last day. Thanks for tonight. Can't wait to see you again. I love you. —Xana_

A thought hit me. When I'd told her that tonight would be her last day, it had already been after twelve. Technically, she hadn't broken her promise. I had totally missed that tiny fact. I had been too busy being lost in her.

I still couldn't get over that betrayed feeling. What would happen to her now?

"Dick, that's Xana?" Bruce asked. I sighed.

"Yeah."

"She's beautiful."

"She's gorgeous. And interesting. And by far a better thief than that. Why would she do something like this? Why would she let herself get caught?"

"If I may inject, Master Dick," Alfred began. I turned to face him. "Perhaps, she's doing this to find her way out, like a sort of rehabilitation."

Out of stubbornness, I wanted to protest at first but then, half a second later, it sunk in that he was right. That was a definite possibility. She was trying to get out in a way that would prevent her from ever considering getting back into it. It sounded very probable.

I sighed. Bruce rested a hand on my shoulder.

"What's supposed to happen now? I mean, we—we were supposed to be more. But now that she's been caught..."

"Relax, Dick. Trust her to know what she's doing." I looked back at my guardian, my mentor. He wasn't my mentor for nothing. He was right. I had to trust her to succeed at what she was doing and come back to me.

Alfred came and placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of me and then started studying me.

"Master Dick," he said after a long moment, face rather expressionless. "You've got a bit of red lipstick on your lips." I smiled, remembered the taste that accompanied the kiss that put it there.

"Thanks, Alfred. I know. And might I just say, I think it's the nicest shade I've ever seen."

**Review. Please. I ain't too proud to beg.**

**Oh, and good news if you enjoyed this: I have a sequel in mind. If you put me on your author alert list, then you can find out exactly when I post it. Just a suggestion, of course.**

**Or should I? Hmm.**


	4. Preview

**You know what you need? A cliffhanger! This will give you hope that I **_**am**_** going to add to this and that Robin won't be left with just a memory.**

**The Robin and The Vixen: The Birdarang Vixen**

I fiddled absently with the button at my neck. I wore no tie, no bowtie. My bowtie was with someone I loved and I didn't feel the need to replace it. At the moment, the lack of the bowtie only served to remind me of the five months that I had been forced to spend without her. I sighed and started to make my way across the room. I needed some air. I needed to give myself a minute to get back into focus.

I noticed around the room that Kaldur and Artemis were also undercover. Bruce certainly hadn't told me that they would be there. I noticed that they seemed to be pretending to be a couple and under the care of Oliver Queen. This issue apparently was bigger than I had originally thought.

I began to make my way to the terrace when I noticed a girl who came to stand in the doorway of the terrace. She smiled at me, champagne glass in hand and I stopped in my tracks. It looked just like _her_. But she was...somewhere else...wasn't she?

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